


The Cross-Company Caper!

by SioDymph



Category: Animaniacs, Disney - All Media Types, Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies, Pinky and the Brain
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Songfic, Songs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SioDymph/pseuds/SioDymph
Summary: When the Warner Siblings discover something strange, it leads them to embark on a daring adventure to strange new studios. All in the hopes of answering one question:Who were the Animaniacs's parents?
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	1. Once Upon a Toon...

Once, long ago, in the time of yester-year, there was a girl and a boy...

It was during the golden years of inkwells and rubber-hose.

There were new Toons coming out every day. Toons of all kinds, from all sorts of studios.

It was a magical time where anyone could become the next big star. All it took was some good-ol’pep and pizazz. And if you had the right stuff, you could become an over-night sensation.

There were two such stars just beginning to rise. A loving couple. Together with their friends, they were quickly rising in the ranks of Toons. She had such a charm to her. And people couldn’t help but fall for his loveable personality and hilarious antics. The boy quickly caught the attention of several directors and producers as well.

They were adored. And there wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that such stars would go down in history as amazing animations. Remembered for years to come.

At least, that’s what was supposed to happen to them.

But alas that was not their fate.

Tragedy struck. There was a squabble in their studio and all too soon they found themselves ripped away from everything they knew. Everything they cared about. And within a few years time due to mismanagement, the pair fell into a deep obscurity they couldn’t escape from. Lost to time.

But worst of all was what happened to their children…

The studio held onto a few of their kids. The ones that seemed most marketable. The studio hoped that they’d be able to recreate the same fame they’d had with their parents.

The children were kept under tight lock and key, and were told nothing about their parents or where they came from.

But with no one to guide them or care for them the kids proved to be far too out-of-control. Far too zany for any producer to wrangle in.

For years the children were locked away in a tower. Brought out on occasion for attempted films. The studio hoped that as time went on the kids would become easier to mold and direct.

This went on for many, many years. A constant cycle. Until one day, decades later, the children finally had their big break. They became super-stars. Icons beloved by all.

The children rode that fame for many years to come. Loving the stardom they got to experience.

And yet at the same time there was always something that didn’t feel quite right. A missing piece in a bigger picture nobody seemed to see…

A question the children could never find an answer to…

Most of the other toons that were kids had parents, or at least an uncle or aunt, so why didn’t they?

And where _exactly_ had they come from?

The handful of caretakers the studio gave them had no answers. And the studio was even more stubborn. When asked, all they’d say was that “You kids were created by the studio, simple as that.”

And for a long time, the children had no choice but to believe the lies the studio told them.

That was until one fateful day…


	2. I Can't Help but Wonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! So happy to finally have the 1st official chapter of this fic up and running!
> 
> Also, I've decided this fic will have songs! (It won't be a full song-fic but on occasion there will be songs lol) Once I figure it out, I'll add links to all the songs as I go. But if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them!
> 
> Thanks and hope you enjoy!

It was a fine day at the Warner Brother’s studio. And even though most days in Southern California were a sunny 70°, there was something special in the air as spring-time returned to Burbank. Flowers bloomed. The sun shined. And there was an element of change on the breeze.

But more importantly than that, it was the studio’s annual clean-out.

And that meant every office, every storage room, every nook and cranny on the movie lot was being cleared out.

To many, it would simply be a time for cleaning.

But for Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner, it was a free-for-all!

The three Warner siblings watched, eyes sparkling with joy. Looking at piles of old junk as if it were Christmas morning.

As a custodian came out with another tall stack of boxes, the children began chanting.

“Treasure! Treasure! TREASURE!”

And when the custodian threw it down on the asphalt, the Warners all cheered and dove into the pile, quickly toppling it as they searched though the old boxes.

Nearby, a pair of mice watched the chaos slowly unfold.

“What’s all this then?” Pinky asked excitedly. “Is this some kinda trash-party?”

“It’s spring cleaning season at the studio.” Brain grumbled. “They do this every year, Pinkie.”

“Oooh! Let’s get springing!” Pinky exclaimed, taking Brain’s hand and pulling him towards the junk. “Oi look Brain! There’s the Warners! I bet they’re on a scavenger-hunt!”

“They certainly are scavenging.” Brain said dryly.

Pinky ignored Brain’s sarcasm waved over towards the Warners. “Hey! Hey kids! How’s it going!”

Dot turned when she heard someone call out. She was practically beaming as she ran over to the mice, arms full of old dolls and action figures. “Hiyya! Are you guys here to look for buried treasure too?”

“Buried treasure huh?” Pinky asked. “That sure sounds fun! Why don’t we play too, Brain!”

“I’ll pass.” Brain said, “I can only handle so much ludicrousness before lunch time.”

“So what are you kids looking for exactly?” Pinky asked.

“Anything we can find really.” Yakko explained. “Old merch, old films, old contracts, old trash.”

“That sounds unhealthy.” Brain commented.

“That sounds exciting!” Pinky enthusiastically agreed. “Say, why is that?”

“Well you know what they say!” Wakko replied. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!”

Yakko dug through a box, swiping several vintage posters. “But more importantly, our treasure is another man’s trash. We gotta make sure nobody throws out our stuff!”

“Your hoarding abilities truly astound me.” Brain commented dryly.

His comment fell on deaf ears though, the children were already running off to inspect more piles of junk.

“Aw, let’m have their fun Brain!” Pinky said, patting Brain on the back. “They ain’t hurting no one!”

Brain slapped his hand away. “I wouldn’t be so sure. I can already feel a migraine coming on.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Pinky said, trying still to comfort Brain. “It’s just a little spring cleaning, what’s the worst that could happen?”

That's when everyone heard a high-pitched scream.

“DOT!”

Rushing through the trash-piles, both brothers frantically looked for their sister. As they ran they were already imagining the horrible things that could have happened to their baby sister. A mountain of junk could have fallen on her. There could have been a monster trapped in one of the millions of boxes. Or worse yet, a copy of “Showgirls”.

But when they found her, all they could see was Dot excitedly hopping up and down in front of a canvas covered in a dusty tarp.

“Dot! What’s wrong?” Yakko asked.

“Nothing!” Dot huffed. “That was my excitement scream! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Both brother’s quickly had to cover their ears when Dot let out another shriek.

Yakko shook his head. “Ok, ok we get it!”

“So what’d you find!” Wakko asked.

“This!” Dot said proudly, ripping the tarp away to reveal a portrait. One the children hadn’t seen in quite some time.

It was a painting. One of the three children when they were younger. They were all dressed in fantasy clothes and sat in the laps of a King and Queen.

“I remember this!” Wakko said, rubbing his hand across the picture frame.

Yakko joined him. “It’s been years since I even thought about our movie! I tell ya, that film sure was something!”

“Probably the darkest thing we ever did.” Dot continued. “Though I still feel like I was snubbed at the Oscars. Pretending to die ain’t easy, you know!”

“No it ain’t.” Wakko agreed.

Pinky and Brain had hurried after the boys and found the children gathered around the old portrait. “Awww! You all look so cute. You and your parents! One big happy family!”

“This portrait was only made for that movie. It isn’t real.” Brain corrected Pinky. “And those two aren’t their real parents. They were just models hired to stand in for this picture. You all know that right?”

“We do.” Wakko agreed. “Still, it’s nice to look at.”

“Yeah…” Dot said with a sigh.

For a moment, the children just gazed at the portrait in silence.

Wakko was the first to speak up. “You know, I’m glad we aren’t related to them! Because I for one, would not be able to pull off that pencil-moustache fake-dad is sporting!”

While Dot snickered at that, Yakko seemed lost in thought. Simply gazing up at the parents with a frown on his face.

“You good, brother’o’mine?” Wakko asked, turning to his brother with concern.

Finally Yakko spoke up. “What do you think they would be like?”

“Be like what?” Pinky asked.

“Their parents.” Brain clarified.

The group thought for a moment. Unsure what to say…

Then Yakko answered his own question, in the way he knew best…

_“As long as I’ve known it’s always been us three._

_We’ve lived on our own, my siblings and me._

_And though, I know it’s too far-fetched to be,_

_I can’t help but wonder ‘bout our family…”_

A melody began to swell. And Wakko and Dot joined their brother in his song.

_“Like how did they act and how did they appear?”_

_“What things did they like? What was their career?”_

_“How long were their ears and how big was their nose?”_

_“I can’t help but wonder, I suppose.”_

Dot shook her head, and Wakko followed suit.

_“But you don’t know.”_

_“Don’t know for sure.”_

But Yakko stuck with his resolve.

_“But that’s what our imagination’s for!”_

“Come on you two!” Yakko said. “You can’t possibly tell me you’ve never thought about what they were like? Not even a little speculation?”

Dot shuffled her feet. “Well, I have some theories.”

“Let’s hear them!” Yakko exclaimed.

“Well…” Dot began before finding the melody again.

_“I think they’d be handsome, I think they’d be cute!_

_They’d both have real talent, and moxie to boot!_

_No matter what they’d try they’d always be great!_

_The type of folks you’d never, ever hate!”_

Yakko continued.

_“I bet they were wise guys, I bet they were smart!_

_They’d crack all the best jokes and make the best art!_

_They’d know what to do and they’d know what to say!_

_At least, that’s what I picture, anyways.”_

Wakko frowned, Dot followed suite.

_“But you can’t say.”_

_“Can’t say for sure.”_

Yakko nodded, but refused to give up just yet.

_“At least it’s fun to guess about before!”_

Yakko and Dot danced about, surrounded by old relics and momentos. Joking about what their parents could have looked like, or what their personalities would have been like. Dot began assembling two mannequins to look like grown-ups. And Yakko puppeteered them from behind, giving them funny voices.

“Now young lady, did you do _ALL_ your homework?”

“Nope!” Dot replied innocently.

“What!? Why not!? Next you’re gonna tell me you didn’t clean your room either.”

“Didn’t do that either!” Dot smirked.

“Well, that’s just unacceptable! Were you kids raised in a barn?!”

“Water-tower, actually!”

While Yakko and Dot laughed together, Wakko trailed behind. Looking back towards at their fake-portrait forlornly.

When Yakko realized his other sibling wasn’t having fun, he hurried back to his brother. Dot quickly followed, abandoning the mannequins she made.

“You ok, brother’o’mine?” He asked.

Wakko sighed before finally singing his own verse wistfully.

_“I hope they were special. I hope they were kind._

_I hope that they stood tall and spoke their own minds._

_I hope that they’d love us, protect us and care._

_If only they were somewhere, out there…”_

Reaching out, Yakko pulled his siblings into a warm hug. “I’m sure they’d be great.”

“Yeah.” Wakko agreed. “But still, do you think-”

They were rudely interrupted when the gruff voice of the custodian hollered. “LOOK OUT BELOW!”

Before they knew it, a landslide of trash came crashing down. The Warners hurried out of the way to avoid getting crushed.

One huge box picked-up speed faster than the rest of the junk. A faded blue trunk toppled from the top the junk-mountain and came tumbling down.

Thinking fast, Pinky shoved Brain away from the oncoming trunk before it could crush them.

The children narrowly missed getting knocked-over by the box when it finally skid to a stop. 

“What the heck is this thing?” Dot asked first, cautiously reaching out to touch the strange trunk. “I’ve never seen this one before!”

“I dunno.” Yakko replied. The trunk was bound by leather straps. “But whatever it is it’s old. Really old.”

“Older than us?” Wakko asked.

“Possibly.” Yakko replied.

There was a note pinned to the top of the trunk. Yakko picked it up and tried to read the heavily-faded ink.

“What’s it say?” Dot asked.

“Uhhh, something, something. Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah.” Yakko squinted at the paper. “Oh! Under no conditions, should the Warners Siblings (Yakko, Wakko and Dot) ever see the contents of this box!”

“That’s us!” Wakko exclaimed.

Pinky and the Brain watched as the scene unfolded before them.

“Are you sure you should open this?” Pinky pondered. “After all, it does say you aren’t allowed.”

Yakko thought for a moment before shrugging. “Well, if they didn’t want us to see this, they should’a hidden it better! Now let’s crack this nut open!”

Brain sighed. “If this unravels the fabric of the universe. I’m blaming you three.”

“Oh they can’t help it!” Pinky replied. “You know how curious those kids can be. Why I bet they must be part-cat!”

Meanwhile, Yakko went to work studying the trunk. All the leather straps appeared to be trapped under a padlock. Keeping the trunk completely sealed off. “Yo Wakko! You think your stomach can handle this?”

“If I can stomach industrial titanium, I can stomach this!” Wakko replied gleefully. Before chomping down on the lock, snapping it under his jaw, and swallowing whole.

With the straps finally free, the Warners pulled back the restraints and were finally ready to open the strange trunk.

“What do you thinks in there?” Wakko asked.

“Treasure!” Dot declared. “All the buried treasure we’re entitled to after those pirate-cartoons!”

“I bet it’s a secret movie we forgot all about!” Wakko said. “And then it was banned in North America!”

“I bet it’s an old contracts.” Yakko mused. “Like the really, really fine print they never wanted us to see.”

“I bet it’s a pony!” Pinky cheered. When Brain glared at him, he just shrugged. “Eventually, there’s gotta be one box that does have a secret-pony in it, right?”

“Well, here goes nothing!” Yakko said finally.

All the straps were loose, there was nothing holding the truck closed now. Yakko’s hands faltered as he reached for the lid. He had a mixed feeling in his gut. Not fully bad, but it certainly wasn’t a good-feeling either. It wasn’t a full “I got a bad feeling about this feeling”, it was more like a “When I open this box I won’t be able to un-see whatever’s inside”.

“You ready sibs?”

“Ready!” Dot agreed.

“Ready!” Wakko agreed as well.

Having no more reason to wait, Yakko reached out and opened the mysterious blue trunk.

And what lay inside…

Only gave the Warner’s more questions than answers.

“Toys?”

Reaching out, Dot plucked a toy car out of the trunk. It appeared to be painted by hand, the paint had become cracked and rusted over time. But when she pressed a button, the toy car lit up and gave a tiny honk. Not bad for something so old and so homemade.

As a matter of fact, most of the items in this toy-bin appeared to be homemade.

“What the heck?” Yakko said, digging though the trunk a little deeper.

Wakko picked up a little doll before it fell onto the ground as his brother dug. It appeared to be a little rabbit doll, complete with a little skirt and rosy cheeks.

“Who made all these?” Wakko asked. The question currently on everyone’s mind.

“I…” Yakko said slowly. “I don’t know…”

He spotted something in the bottom of the trunk. Hidden under all the dolls and gizmos. He dug deeper and discovered several things actually.

And when he pulled himself out of the trunk had had two hands full of letters.

“But we’re going to find out…”


End file.
